Cyclone Komen ravages poverty-steeped country
As monsoon season befell the Asiatic country of Myanmar formerly known as Burma, little did anyone realise the destructive monster approaching.
Making landfall in July, Cyclone Komen ravaged its way across the diverse landscape causing severe landslides and flooding affecting 12 of 14 states and regions. The result: one of the country’s worst natural disasters. Soon after, the Rakhine and Chin states and the Magway and Sagaing regions were declared natural disaster zones by the government.
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Myanmar formulated an initial rapid response sending and mobilising teams in Kyauk Taw Township, Rakhine State, Hpa-an and Hlaingbwe Townships, Kayin State, Hakha and Thantlang Townships, Chin State, Kalaymyo Township, Sagaing Region and Magway Region. Using emergency funds of an initial USD15,000, ADRA, the first non-government organisation to respond in the area, delivered food supplies to affected villages around Kalaymyo Township in Sagaing, one of the eight worst affected townships. ADRA delivered the food via ziplines across flooded rivers and tractors through mud-drenched roads after mobilising volunteers from the local Seventh-day Adventist churches and schools.
As floodwaters began to subside in the north, initial assessments depicted mud 1-2 metres deep in several areas around Kalaymyo, where once floodwaters reached 5-9 metres at their peak. Locals had to dig out their homes, but with monsoonal rains continuing until October, there is little chance of recovery until the mud dries. Millions of acres of paddy fields once inundated by floodwaters are now strewn with mud and debris. Replanting in time for harvest in November will be almost impossible. To make matters worse, flood victims were being charged up to 2000 Myanmar kyat in some areas to cross rapidly moving rivers.
ADRA Myanmar’s country director Brendon Irvine said the floods “had a much bigger and deeper impact than initially anticipated.” His organisation’s primary focus has been distributing dry food rations and assisting local farmers in agricultural practices.
Locals face starvation, risk of disease, lack of shelter and a dwindling hope of rebuilding livelihoods. A country steeped in poverty where more than one quarter of the population live below the poverty line has little room to cope with a natural disaster of this magnitude.
The number of people displaced by the floods is in the hundreds of thousands. Ongoing support is crucial. You can help in two ways. One, donating to ADRA Australia’s Disaster Preparedness and Response Fund ensures ADRA is able to respond immediately to disasters such as the floods in Myanmar. And two, visiting Myanmar as a tourist will help the economy recover.
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